Lemon Cake
by Intheabsenceoflight
Summary: Cress is infuriated by the handsome stranger who always shows up at the bakery where she works.
1. Chapter 1

**Lemon Cake**

 **"The usual, please."**

 **Cress looked up at the man on the other side of the counter. His cocky grin was in place and his blue eyes were teasing.**

 **She frowned and punched the order into the register.**

 **"One extra large black coffee, one slice of lemon cake." She called into the back.**

 **The man leaned up against the counter. "So what's new around our favorite coffee shop?" He asked.**

 **"Nothing since yesterday, sir." Cress responded.**

 **He laughed and crossed the room to take his seat in his usual spot by the window.**

 **Cress decided she hated him. She hated his stupid leather jacket and his artfully faded jeans. She hated his fancy boots and his stupid smile. She hated his stupid hair, styled to look oh-so-carefree. Why did he always have to tease her?**

 **Scarlet tapped her shoulder. She handed Cress the tray with the coffee and the lemon cake.**

 **"I hate him." Cress muttered.**

 **Scarlet smiled. "Just suck it up, sweetie. He'll get bored eventually."**

 **Cress brought him his order and ignored his attempts to flirt with her. She went back to the kitchen and started rolling out raisin bread dough. A half hour later, she heard Scarlet call for her.**

 **"Cress, we're getting kind of busy. Can you bus tables?"**

 **"Sure thing!"**

 **Cress hurried out into the dining area, scooping up plates and cups as she went. When she reached the corner table by the window, she paused. The coffee cup was drained but the lemon cake sat untouched on the plate. Only the strawberry had been picked off the top. She grit her teeth. Same as every day. He drank the coffee and ate the strawberry but he always left the cake.**

 **She stormed back into the kitchen. With the customers eating, the girls could all catch a break.**

 **"Can you believe this?" She shouted. "Why does he do this every day? I work hard to make that cake and he just lets it go to waste!"**

 **Scarlet nodded. "It is pretty rude of him to buy it and not even eat it."**

 **"Exactly! Who does this guy think he is?"**

 **Cinder pulled a slip of paper out of her apron pocket. "He signs his receipts as Captain Carswell Thorne."**

 **Cress balked at her friend. "Cinder! You can't keep those receipts!"**

 **The brunette just shrugged. "You're the one who wanted to know. I don't know why you care so much anyway."**

 **"Perhaps he just likes you." Winter suggested.**

 **Cress crossed her arms. "I'm gonna ask him myself."**

 **"What?"**

 **"Tomorrow I'm gonna ask him why he never eats the cake. I'm sick of him teasing me."**

 **The next morning, when Thorne came in to order his cake and coffee, Cress was ready for him. She waited for him to take his seat, let Cinder bring out the food, and then she marched over to the corner table with her head held high.**

 **She slapped her palms against the table and glared at him.**

 **"I want to know why you never eat the lemon cake."**

 **He looked at her, confusion in his blue eyes. "What?"**

 **"I get up at five AM every morning to come to work. I make that lemon cake myself from scratch and everyone loves it. I go to school, I do my homework, I come back here. Then I go to my other job at the computer store. I want to know why my efforts aren't good enough for you."**

 **Thorne stared at the girl. She was barely five feet tall with a mess of long blonde hair and right now her face was set in stone and her eyes were sharp. He was more than a little surprised by her words.**

 **"I'm... sorry." He said, bewildered. "I just don't really like sweet things."**

 **Cress felt her cheeks start to heat up and she leaned back. "Then why..."**

 **"I come in here every day to see you."**

 **He grabbed his jacket and left the shop.**

 **Cress's face was a bright tomato red. She spun around and ran back to the kitchen. She sat down on a large sack of flour and buried her face in her hands. She felt like such an idiot.**

 **The next day, he was back. Cress was still too embarrassed to face him so she had Scarlet take his order while she hid in the back. When he finally left, Cress went to clear up his table. What she found stunned her.**

 **Every bite of lemon cake had been eaten.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Cress was standing next to the table by the window. She clutched an empty tray tightly in her hands and stared at her shoes with a bright red face.

Thorne chuckled. "Don't worry about it."He took a bite of lemon cake and smiled at her. "You know, this is actually really good."

"Thanks," she said.

Silence floated between them like thick cream. She shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, um... I'd better be getting back to the kitchen. Croissants don't roll themselves!" She laughed at her own lame joke and turned around.

"Wait."

She glanced back at him. It was starting to become colder outside and it was evident in the chapped, redness of his cheeks and lips. Wait a minute. Why was Cress looking at his lips? Oh stars...

"Your friend who keeps the receipts. The girl who wears the glove on only one hand?"

"Yeah?"

"Ask her for my receipt from today."

"But..."

He held up a hand to stop her protests. "Just do it. Now, go on, I won't keep you. Croissants and all."

"Right. Croissants."

Cress hurried back behind the counter, where Cinder was leaning over it working the register. Cress latched her fingers onto her friend's elbow.

"Cinder, I need Carswell Thorne's receipt from today." She hissed.

Why?" Asked Cider."I just need it, okay? I know you have it."

Cinder rolled her eyes and tugged at the white glove that covered her prosthetic hand. "Sheesh, you don't want me to keep receipts, now you do. You hate Carswell Thorne, now you don't. Make up your mind, Cress."

Cress clasped her hands. "Please, Cinder, I'll make you buttercream cupcakes for a week, no charge."

Cinder thought for exactly three seconds. "Deal." She said. "But only because I love your buttercream cupcakes." She dug the crumpled receipt out of her pocket and pressed it into the blonde's hand.

Cress quickly scanned the little white sheet for anything important. Nothing. One extra large black coffee and one slice of lemon cake, $5.50, Captain Carswell Thorne. Same as every day.

On a whim, she flipped it over and her jaw dropped. Scribbled in black ink was, unmistakably, a phone number. Cress felt her face turning as red as the strawberries that topped her lemon cakes. She turned around and saw Thorne pulling his jacket on as he exited the shop. Without another thought, Cress let the receipt flutter to the countertop and she ran after him. She pushed through the doors and was hit by a blast of icy November air. She shivered in her short sleeved pink uniform.

"Wait!" She called to Thorne.

He turned around and came back to stand in front of her.

"Yeah?"

She swallowed. "An Italian restaurant just opened downtown..."

"And?"

"And...and I like daisies.

Thorne's face broke into a smile. "How does Saturday sound?"

"Saturday sounds great."

"Okay."

"Okay."

They went there separate ways an Cress sighed with relief when she returned to the nice, warm bakery. Her friends were all smiling at her like idiots from the other side of the counter.

"Soooo?" Asked Scarlet.

"So, what?" Snapped Cress.

"I think I was right." Added Winter in her singsong voice.

"Shut up, you guys."

 **A/N: This was originally supposed to be just a quick one shot, but since you all seem to love it so much, I've decided to continue it! I don't know how long I'll be able to make it, but I'm glad to do it. I'll try to update every other day opposite my other story To Love A Monster (which you should totally also read shhhh) so yeah, that's all for now! Please review and enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"I don't think I've ever been this nervous in my entire life." Cress whispered to her reflection.

She was staring into the full length mirror on the back of Winter's bedroom door and she was growing more anxious by the second. Just the sight of herself in the pale blue dress with its little cap sleeves and ruffled hem was enough to kick her heart rate up exponentially. She swallowed hard and lifted her shaking hands to brush out her hair.-

"You're going to be fine." Cinder called from the couch. Maybe she had a point, but Cinder was dressed in sweatpants and a tank top, with a bowl of popcorn in her lap and her boyfriend Kai's arm around her shoulders so Cress decided she didn't get to have an opinion on the matter.

"Why am I doing this?" She muttered to the mirror.

"She saw Winter's face pop up behind her in the glass.

"Don't worry about it, Cress." She said soothingly. "You're just having dinner with a nice, attractive gentleman who likes you very much."

"What if I do something stupid? What if we're bored by each other? What if-"

"What if, what if, what if," Winter sang. "You can't worry so much about the 'what if', or you'll miss out on the what is."

"I don't follow."

"What is happening right now is good. You're going on a date with someone you like. If you stress about what could happen, you'll end up spoiling what is happening."

Cress took a deep breath and tore her gaze away from her reflection. She mustered up her courage and focused on the 'what is'. She and Thorne had spoken several times since she'd asked him out, on the phone and in the bakery. He was funny, and he seemed like he genuinely liked her. And he always ate her lemon cake, which was a plus. Cress had noticed her feelings towards him shifting from dislike to acceptance to friendship and now she felt herself teetering on the edge of another shift.

To something bigger.

To _the L-word_.

There was a knock on the apartment door. Cinder clicked up the movie volume, pretending she hadn't heard it.

Cress smoothed her skirt, have herself one last once over in the mirror and answered the door. Thorne was standing with his hands behind his back. His eyes widened when he saw her.

"Wow." He breathed. "You look... Better than I expected."

Cress raised her eyebrows. "Thanks." She said sarcastically.

"Kidding." He said with a warm smile. "You look incredible. Ready to go?"

From behind his back, he removed single daisy, fresh as a spring day. Cress was stunned he had remembered, even more stunned when you considered the fact that winter had come early to the city. He reached forward and gently tucked the flower behind Cress' ear. She felt her face start to heat up.

"Hey. Pretty boy," called Scarlet.

Thorne looked inside the apartment to where Scarlet sat at the kitchen table cleaning her pistol.

"You do anything sleazy or rude or anything to make her cry..." She snapped a clip into the gun's magazine. The menacing sound made Thorne shiver.

"You got it, Red." He replied. "Now if you'll excuse us..." He took Cress' hand and tugged her out into the hall.

"Be safe!" Yelled Cinder as the door closed.

Thorne led Cress to his car, a clunky, beat up old thing he called 'the Rampion.' They drove down town mostly in silence. He asked what she was studying in school and she told him she was majoring in technical engineering. She asked him about college and he brushed it off. "Not my style," he replied with a shrug.

The restaurant was done up in reds and golds with soft candle lighting and paintings of Italian countrysides on the walls. A waitress showed them to their table, secluded in a corner by a window. Just like Thorne's table in the bake shop.

"I'd love to go to Italy someday." Cress sighed, gazing at the paintings.

"Maybe I'll take you. I'd love to get out of this city."

"You don't like it here?"

He scoffed. "Please. Your lemon cake is the only thing keeping me around."

She smirked. "Just my lemon cake?"

He laughed, but then his expression became a bit more thoughtful.

"You know, Cress, even before the lemon cake, I came in just to see you."

"Why?"

"Because I thought you were adorable. And I didn't have any sort of confidence to do more than flirt with you."

She blushed. "You always seemed pretty confident to me."

"You mistake ego for confidence, my dear."

Cress wasn't sure how to respond to that. She was still trying to believe someone like him had taken interest in her. She was a nerd. She wasn't tall or curvy or beautiful like her friends. She was just nerdy, little Cress. She found it hard to believe she could be liked by anyone.

The waitress took their orders, refilled their water glasses and disappeared.

"I'm still kind of shocked you like me, even after I screamed at you." Cress said, wiping the condensation on her glass with her fingertip.

"Are you kidding? That just made me like you even more!" He responded in a bright voice.

Cress looked up in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. I was being an ass, you called me on it. You stuck up for yourself. I think that's really amazing."

"Wow." She'd never thought of it like that.

The rest of their dinner was filled with joking and laughter and odd little stories about childhoods and friends and family. By the time they were back in the car, Cress felt giddy and excited. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face and neither could Thorne.

He walked her back up to her apartment and they paused outside the door.

"I had a lot of fun tonight." She said softly.

"So did I. Is there a possibility of a second date?"

"I think so. As long as you're not dating me for my lemon cake."

"Of course not." He took a step closer and laced his fingers with hers.

Her breath caught in her throat. He leaned in and she did, too. He brushed his lips against hers and she kissed him back with a gentle sweetness found only in fairy tales. She was vaguely aware of his hand in her hair and her heart thundering out of her chest. They parted only seconds later and it was much too soon for both of them.

"Well... See you around, Cress."

"You too..."

He walked away and she watched him go. When she was certain he was gone, she finally opened the apartment door. When she did, her friends who had been pressed against it tumbled into the hallway.

"Whoops." Mumbled Scarlet.

"You three are the worst." Cress muttered and stepped over them into the kitchen.

 **A/N: sorry if its a lil late! My editing situation is insane here. Hope you all like it; I know I'm really starting to enjoy working on this story. Tomorrow's update of To Love A Monster may be a teeny bit late as well. I thank you all for your patience and support. Don't forget to review, it really helps me out a lot!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

 **A/N: Just to clear things up, the** **four girls are all sophomores in college and they all work in the bake shop before, between and after classes. Cinder runs the register, Cress and Winter do the baking and Scarlet takes orders to and from tables as well as cleans them. Of course, the girls aren't picky and they often switch chores to shake things up.**

Cress pulled a fresh lemon cake from the oven, warm and steaming. She inhaled the rich, sweet smell and carefully popped the golden cake from its pan. She sliced it expertly into neat, even little squares. She placed a slice on each plate and grabbed the frosting she'd made earlier from the fridge. The frosting was vanilla with just enough lemon zest stirred in to give it a pale yellow color and a cool, refreshing flavor. Once she finished frosting the slices she carefully placed half a strawberry in the center of each piece. Cress smiled at her handiwork and set the plates in the display window.

"Someone seems happy today," said Cinder, snagging a cupcake from the cooling wrack on the counter.

"Well, I am happy." Cress replied. Ever since her date with Thorne, she'd been looking forward to coming back to the bake shop on Monday.

The bell rang at the front of the shop and Cress' head swiveled towards the sound but she knew it wouldn't be him. It was much too early.

"You're like a lovesick puppy," said Cinder. She playfully poked the smaller girl in the ribs.

"You have buttercream on your nose."

Cinder swiped at the blob of frosting, only smearing it more. "Did I get it?"

Cress smiled. "Yup." She lied. She'd tell Cinder later that she still had frosting on her face, but all the better to wait it out.

She busied herself with cleaning up the kitchen. She had a few hours to kill before Thorne got there, so she pulled out the recipe for raspberry glazed brownies and got to work.

By the time noon rolled around, they were well into the swing of the day. People sat at the tables, chatting and enjoying the drinks and desserts. They had sold out of apple tarts and peanut butter pie, so Cress and Winter fired up their ovens to make more. Cress was a little worried. Usually, Thorne had already come by noon. She glanced nervously at the display case and noted that there still four slices of lemon cake. She hoped everything was okay and he was just running late.

With the pies and tarts in the oven, Cress pulled on her coat. She had a class to get to at one thirty. Winter took over the kitchen and Scarlet waved goodbye from one of the tables.

"Will you call me if he shows up?" Cress asked Cinder.

"Sure thing."

"Thanks. Oh, and Cinder? You still have frosting on your face."

"What?! You lying little-"

But Cress was already out the door. She'd forgotten her gloves that morning, but she pulled out her phone anyway. She sent a text to Thorne.

 _'Missed you at the bake shop this morning! Everything okay?_ '

She hoped that sounded alright. She didn't want it to seem like she was checking up on him. I mean, they'd only gone on one date. But it had gone well hadn't it? Cress had thought so. He'd kissed her goodnight so it couldn't have been too bad right? Cress told herself to stop worrying. Everything was probably fine.

She focused on her class, listening intently to the lecture. When it ended, she checked her phone. No messages from Thorne. One from Cinder.

 _'Still no Captain Hair Gel. Sorry :('_

Cress sighed and started the long walk back to the bakery. Maybe everything wasn't alright...

She worked the rest of the day in silence. When the lemon cake ran out, she made another. She debated sending another text, but she didn't want to seem clingy. She didn't respond to her friends' attempts to cheer her up either. When closing time came, she let out a sigh and began the long process of cleaning up, putting things away and closing shop.

"Sorry about all this, Cress." Scarlet said with a sympathetic face.

She shrugged in response.

"It's not your fault, Cress. He's being pretty rude, dropping off the face of the earth like this."

Just then, a knocking sound from the front door. They turned their heads to see Carswell Thorne staring at them through the glass. Cress exchanged glances with her friends and crossed the shop to unlock the door

"Hey." He said quietly.

"Hey." She replied. "You didn't come in today." She didn't mean for it to sound like an accusation.

He averted his eyes. "Can we go for a walk?"

She looked back into the bakery at her friends. Winter made a shooing motion with her hands.

"Okay."

And the two of them set off walking into the cold November night.

 **A/N: I'm so glad I continued this; I've got a whole plot figured out that I hope you'll really like. Let me know what you think by leaving a review, it helps me out a lot!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

 **A/N: sorry bout the cliffhanger, but you're gonna hate me even more when this chapter is over**

It started to snow while they were walking. The sky over the city was dark and cloudy and the bright lights caught the snowflakes as they drifted to the streets below. Cress looked up at the sky and frowned at the starless black abyss. That was the one thing she hated about the city: it was always impossible to see the stars.

Thorne was silent as they walked which didn't help to settle the nerves Cress was feeling in her stomach. He had kept his hands in his pockets throughout the whole walk but as they passed the train station, he reached out to take her hand. Cress was grateful for that. She was cold and uncertain all over, but her hand was steady and warm when joined with his.

They walked hand in hand all the way to the park, where they escaped the brighter lights and the passing cars. Thorne paused when they reached a large statue of a crescent moon. The plaque below it said it was supposed to represent wisdom.

"I'm sorry I didn't come in today," Thorne said softly. "Something came up.

"Is everything okay?" Cress asked.

Thorne smiled for a moment and then let his face fall. "Not really."

"What happened?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at her with a burning intensity in his eyes. Cress didn't think she'd ever get used to the way he looked at her, like she was something precious and beautiful and magnificent.

He squeezed her hand and pulled her close to him. He leaned down and kissed her. His lips were cold, his breath was warm, the snowflakes were sticking to her eyelashes but Cress didn't care about any of that. She didn't care that he didn't come in for lemon cake today, what mattered was that he was here know, warm in her arms.

He pulled away and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose.

"What was that for?" Cress asked, a little breathless.

"Nothing." He whispered back. "I just... I really, really like you Cress."

"I like you, too."

He tugged gently on a strand of her hair and smiled a sad, slow smile. "Look, you're probably going to hear some bad things about me soon. And some of them are true, but-"

He was cut off by his phone ringing from within his pocket. An annoyed look flashed across his features as he dug the phone out. When he looked at the screen, his face changed.

"Gimme just a sec?" He asked.

"Of course," Cress nodded.

He walked around to the other side of the statue and answered the call.

Cress sighed, watching her breath fog in the cold air. What had Thorne been about to tell her? Why was he so down? He wasn't his usual teasing self.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she inched closer to the statue until she could make out some of his words.

"Darla, no, of course I'm not cheating on you. Who else would I go to?"

Cress felt her heart stop in her chest. _Darla_?

"Don't hang up on me, please, I need you. You know I do. Please, I can't do this alone."

Cress couldn't breathe.

"Yes...yes... Yeah, I'll come in tomorrow... Okay... Thanks, Darla... Yeah, I know it'll be okay."

He paused, and then...

"Yeah, love you, too. Okay, bye."

"Cress heard his footsteps crunching against the frozen ground as he walked back towards her. He smiled when he came around the corner.

"Who's Darla?" She asked in a sharp, brittle voice that sounded nothing like her own.

His face was blank, and then his eyes went wide with panic. "No one."

Tears stung the corners of her eyes. "I heard you! Who is she? Your wife?"

Thorne didn't answer.

Cress felt her heart crack in her chest. "She is, isn't she?" She said in a tiny voice.

He took a step towards her. "Cress, please, just let me explain-"

"No!" She shouted. "Why do you always have to do this to me? Why do you always treat me like I'm nothing?"

She didn't care about his response. She turned around and ran, fast and far, away from him.

"Cress, wait!" He yelled.

But she just ran, shadowed by snow and blanketed by the darkness of a starless sky.

 **A/N: I'm the worst. I took a fluffy lil story about lemon cake and now its angst. Boom. I control your happiness now. Leave a review, it really helps! And don't worry too much, this'll have a happy ending I PROMISE.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

 **A/N: So I got several rather rude guest reviews last night. I'm sorry if you don't like where the story has gone but unfortunately, I am a writer. I am going to college to major in professional writing. I am writing a book. I find it difficult to write plotless fluff because it goes against my instinct. A story is presentationproblemsolution and I enjoy giving fanfictions plots. If you don't like it you don't have to read it. Sorry about that but I had to get it out of my system. Onto the chapter! Leave a review, it helps me out a lot, but please, be more polite this time!**

"One lemon cake, please."

Cinder studied Carswell Thorne with cold brown eyes. She wasn't happy to see him.

"Cress doesn't make lemon cake anymore." She said in a sharp voice. "And frankly, I don't think you have the right to ask."

He sighed. "I know."

He tightened his scarf and turned to leave. He looked at the brown haired girl over his shoulder.

"Could you tell her I came?"

Cinder folded her arms.

"Please. I need to talk to her. It wasn't what she thought."

"I can tell her. I can't promise she'll listen."

"Thank you." He started for the door again.

"Hang on a second." Cinder called. "What do you mean it wasn't what she thought?"

Thorne came back to stand in front of the counter. "I wasn't on the phone with my wife, not my girlfriend, not anything like that."

"Then who were you on the phone with?"

"I can't tell you. She needs to hear it from me."

Cinder tugged at the glove covering her metal hand. "Tell me. I'll keep it a secret."

Thorne thought for a few minutes, his eyes staring at the display of sugar cookies without really seeing them. "Okay." he finally said.

Luckily, the shop wasn't crowded that day and Scarlet agreed to work the register for Cinder for a few minutes. Cinder and Thorne sat at his usual table, a cup of lukewarm coffee in front of each of them.

"Darla is my half sister," Thorne explained. "She and I never really knew each other growing up, but she's a good person. Very strict, always follows the rules-"

"The polar opposite of you." Cinder interjected.

"Exactly," Thorne agreed with a wry smile. "She's also the best lawyer in this city."

"Why does that matter?"

Thorne stared into his coffee. "If you're going to understand, you'll need to know everything."

When Thorne finished his story, Cinder was in awe.

"Wow," she breathed. "That's pretty overwhelming."

Thorne nodded. "Tell me about it."

"But I kind of get it." She continued. "Not being able to tell the person you care about everything you want to tell them." Her fingers twisted at the fabric of her gloves.

"Yeah." He laughed humorlessly. "I'm not usually a touchy feely backstory kind of guy. I don't usually take girls on proper dates either."

"This must be a pretty interesting week for you."

"I like Cress. A lot. More than any other girl I've dated. I can't have her dump me over something like this."

"I get it."

"I'd rather she dumped me because I'm selfish or vain or arrogant. Those are much better reasons."

Cinder reached across the table to squeeze his wrist. "Don't worry. I'll talk to her."

 **TCTCTCTCTCTCTC**

Cress was curled up on the couch wearing wooly pajamas and watching period dramas on TV. She hasn't pegged herself as the type to mope around after a break up, but here she was. She was just wondering if she should skip her afternoon class, when Cinder burst into the apartment.

"You need to talk to Thorne." She announced.

"What?" Cress said in a tired voice.

"You need to talk to Thorne." Cinder repeated.

"No way."

Cinder sat down on the couch and took the blonde's hand. "Cress, do you remember how long it took me to tell Kai about my prosthetics?"

"Yeah?"

"I wasn't honest with him and it almost ruined us. And Wolf wasn't totally honest with Scarlet when they started dating and they were miserable."

"So what's your point?" Cress asked hotly.

"My point is that he's trying to be honest with you now. He told me everything and I think you should listen. You'll regret it if you don't."

"I don't want to hear his excuses."

"I know. Just hear him out. You don't want it to end over a misunderstanding."

Cress stared at the polished Victorian actress on the screen, going over her options in her mind.

"Fine. I'll listen to him. But after that, I'm done. There are more important things than Carswell Thorne."

 **A/N: Things are starting to get better! Also, PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS AN AU FIC BEFORE YOU JUMP DOWN MY THROAT ABOUT HOW THE CHARACTERS ARE ACTING.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

 **A/N: Here we go! With any luck, this will be the last angsty chapter and we can get back to the Cresswell fluff! Thank you all for being so patient. Leave a review, it helps me out a lot!**

Cress agreed to meet Thorne after her Technological Physics class. She found it difficult to focus on what her professor was saying and she was scolded for daydreaming. As soon as the students were dismissed, Cress ran from the lecture hall. Thorne was waiting for her outside.

Cress swallowed hard when she saw him. She hasn't seen him or spoken to him since that night. Seeing him here, waiting for her in the snow, made her heart lodge in her throat and her spine tingle.

"Hi." He said plainly.

She didn't greet him.

Thorne sighed. "Cress, can we talk?"

"We're talking right now aren't we?

"That's my line." He replied with half a smile. "You know what I mean."

"Fine."

They walked side by side, not looking at each other or touching. Cress remembered when he had held her hand as they walked through the city, when she had been warm and steady instead of cold and alone.

It was quiet. Cress loved the way snow seemed to soundproof everything, but right now it just made everything seem more awkward.

"Cinder told me about Darla." Cress said. "So, I'm sorry I overreacted, I guess. But that doesn't change anything. You still lied to me. You treated me like a stupid little girl. Just say your piece and go."

"I was going to tell you. I tried to that night. But Darla cut me off."

"I remember that."

Thorne stopped walking. "Cress, there's a chance I could go to prison."

"What?" Cried Cress, jerking her head to look at him. A chill ran through her that had nothing to do with the cold.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Look, I'm not exactly the great person I led you to believe. I've lied, I've cheated, I've swindled and I've stolen. I dropped out of a fancy private college upstate and cut myself off from my parents."

Cress's head was swimming as she tried to keep up with what he was saying.

"I stole the Rampion and practically lived in it for about a year. I've run credit card frauds and scams. I got caught and thrown in jail. I spent over a month in prison before my sister came to get me. She's been trying to get me out trouble for the last year but she's charging me and whenever I'm out of her sight she assumes I'm stealing again or going to another lawyer."

He took a deep breath.

Cress didn't move. She didn't breathe. She struggled to understand everything he'd told her.

He studied her face, looking for some sort of sign from her that she was on the same page. That she forgave him.

"You were dealing with all of that," she said finally. "and you still made time for my lemon cake? Are you an idiot?"

"Thorne laughed. "What can I say? It's the best cake in the city."

"You must be so afraid." She whispered.

He shrugged. "I'm just afraid you'll never talk to me again. I've made my peace with the fact that I'm going down, but I'm caught between not wanting to drag you down with me and wanting you at my side."

She bit her lip, not sure how to respond.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to tell you. See you around, Cress."

He walked away, his back rigid as the snow fell around them. Cress watched him go. She felt tears start to sting in the cold air.

"Wait." She called. Her legs were moving before she said the word.

Thorne turned around just as Cress slammed into him. She held him tightly and when his arms wrapped around her waist she finally felt warm and steady and whole again. He leaned down and kissed her, just once, slow as can be.

He looked into her shining eyes. "Have you noticed we're always calling out 'wait' to each other?"

She smirked. "Maybe instead of always leaving without each other, we should just move on together."

"I like that plan."

He took her gloved hand in his own and they walked forward together, ready to face whatever came. There would be problems ahead, they knew, but for now they just enjoyed the comfort of being close and the promise of warm chocolate cupcakes when they got back to the bakery.

 **A/N: Aaaaaannnd the sugary sweet tooth rotting fluff is back! Let me know what you think, and I'll see you guys soon in the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

 **A/N: Welcome back! I took a little break, hope you guys understand. I'm hoping to finish this story in about ten chapters so I can get back to my other story To Love A Monster (which you should totally read, too.) Please enjoy and leave a review, it really helps me out a lot!**

"Tell me again why I'm doing this?

Cress rolled her eyes at Thorne. "Because I want you to. And it's gonna be fun.

"If you say so, Blondie." He replied as Cress pulled out her pots and pans.

Cress had her heart set on teaching Thorne how to bake even though his trial was just days away. Lemon cake had brought them together and Cress wanted them to still have that thing connecting them if he was taken away. She was incredibly worried that Darla wouldn't be able o save Thorne and he'd be gone from her life forever. So she was going to do what she always did when she was troubled: bake.

"Okay," she said, tying an apron around her waist. "We're going to need flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate, buttercream, blackberries, strawberries, vanilla, lemon zest, and milk."

"How much are we making?" Thorne asked incredulously.

"Cress shrugged and clicked on the oven. "Just one lemon cake and chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting and blackberry drizzle."

"Do we get to eat all of these when we're done?"

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Of course."

The hours passed merrily and soon they were covered in flour and cocoa powder. The cakes were in the oven, sending sweet smells throughout the apartment.

"That was much easier than I thought it would be." Thorne said.

"Told you so."

"Shut up." He leaned down and kissed her. "You taste like chocolate."

With the cakes cooling and waiting to be frosted, they settled onto the couch. Cress leaned her head onto Thorne's shoulder and watched the snow flurry around outside.

"Are you scared?" She asked. "Of what might happen?"

He was silent for a few breaths. "Sometimes." He draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. "I'm afraid of going to prison, but mostly I'm afraid of losing you.

"You won't lose me."

He smiled but didn't look away from the window. "I'm afraid because I know I deserve to be locked up."

"Don't say that!" She cried.

"It's true. I've done a lot of bad things. I should pay my debt to society or whatever."

"You seem oddly complacent about this. I would've thought you'd be all for fighting the system."

"I am. But half the battle is knowing when you've lost."

"Well," she said pressing her body closer to him. "We haven't lost yet."

They stayed like that on the couch for a long time, wrapped in each other's arms and staring at the snow, forgetting to frost the cakes. They were dimly aware of Scarlet and Wolf coming in but they didn't move to greet them. Scarlet yelled from the kitchen that the cupcakes weren't frosted, but she was taking some anyway. When Cress and Thorne went back into the kitchen, half the cupcakes were gone. Cress shook her head at Wolf's insatiable appetite.

They were halfway through frosting the lemon cake squares when there was a knock on the door. Cress looked up in surprise. That couldn't be any of her friends, they all had keys. It had to be someone else...

Cress unlocked the door and peered into the hallway. A woman was standing there tapping away on a smartphone. She had skin so tan it was almost orange and hair so black it looked blue in the light. She wore ripped skinny jeans and a black coat open over a silver tank top. Somehow she managed to be gorgeous and casual at the same time. Cress instinctively adjusted her flour spotted T-shirt. She didn't look at Cress, her eyes glued to the screen.

After a long, awkward moment, the woman's eyes shifted from her phone to Cress's face. She looked vastly unimpressed with what she saw.

"I take it you're Cress?" She asked in a bored, robotic tone.

"Yes." Mumbled Cress self consciously.

"I'm here for my brother, Carswell."

"Of course," Cress replied. It was a little strange to hear Thorne's first name.

She turned around to call for him but he was already right behind her.

"Darla, what's wrong?"

Darla looked back to her phone. "Nothing. The trial's been pushed up to tomorrow is all."

Thorne's eyebrows shot up. "What? I thought it was next week!"

"Well, now it's tomorrow. So you better be ready to defend yourself," She turned around to leave. "Because the world is ready to judge you."

Cress closed the door in disbelief. "What now?" She whispered.

Thorne put his arms around her. "Now, we hope for the best."

 **A/N: Are you guys interested in seeing the trial scene? Please let me know if you are, because I don't want to post that if no one cares and I don't want to skip it if you guys are interested. This story will only continue for about two or three more chapters so let me know how I should spend it by leaving a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

 **A/N: So here we are. At your request, we will be seeing bits and pieces of the trial but not the whole thing. I've decided to intersperse the trial scenes with scenes of Cress back at the bakery. Should be interesting!**

 **WARNING: THIS CHAPTER FEATURES A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF VIOLENCE. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T READ IF THAT COULD TRIGGER OR UPSET YOU IN ANY WAY!**

 **Let me know what you think by leaving a review, it really helps me out a lot!**

Thorne pulled at the collar of the dress shirt his sister had made him wear. He was seated at a rich wooden table in a sleek, shiny courtroom. All around him, people were filing in and taking their seats. The jurors were studying him with cool, impartial eyes. Thorne swallowed hard.

Beside him, Darla was calmly making a note on her legal pad.

"You look oddly relaxed, sister dear." He hissed in her ear.

Darla's perfectly glossed lips tugged into a half smile. "Mind your nerves brother dear, they're the mark of a guilty man."

Thorne frowned and leaned back in his chair. He tried not to think about where he was or what might happen to him if they lost. He let his mind wander to Cress, her tiny hands and huge eyes and the way her forehead crinkles when she was focusing. Thinking of her helped.

Suddenly, Darla's elbow collided sharply with his ribcage. He leapt to his feet along with everyone else as the judge proceeded to her seat in the front of the room.

The sound of the gavel cracking sent a bolt through Thorne's heart like a gunshot. Court was in session.

Cress stared at the clock on the far side wall of the bakery. Thorne's trial had started by now. She tried not to worry; Darla was the best, she'd been reassured. But she couldn't help but feel like she should be there at the courthouse with them. She had wanted to go to support Thorne, but he'd told her it would be boring and he'd be fine anyway. He had said it in a joking tone, as usual, but she had the feeling he had other reasons for not wanting her there.

She tore her gaze from the clock and attempted to focus on her work. She had all the ingredients for a lemon cake laid out in front of her, but she didn't feel right about making one. She pressed her palms flat on the countertop and took a deep breath. When she let it out, it was staggered and broken, laced with tears.

Cress swiped furiously at her eyelashes, refusing to let a single tear squeeze its way out. She shook her head and with shaky hands began to mix the dry ingredients.

"Hey," began a gentle voice behind her.

Cress glanced at Scarlet out of the corner of her eye. The redhead had an uncharacteristic look of concern on her face.

"Hey," Cress replied in voice she hoped sounded less broken to her friend.

Scarlet laid a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. Cress could see it was the hand with only four fingers.

"It's going to be alright, mon ami." She said gently. "Carswell Thorne doesn't go down easy and not without a fight."

"I know. But I'm still scared." Cress wished she could be more like Scarlet, wearing her flaws and her fears proudly, never letting them own her

"And it's okay to be scared." Scarlet whispered back. She gave the blonde a quick hug before disappearing back out to the front counter.

Cress took another deep breath to steady herself. And then she got to work. Her world might be crumbling out from underneath her but life still goes on and lemon cakes still need to be made.

"Mr. Thorne. You've told us many stories today, explaining your many scams and scandals, but nothing has explained your military desertion."

Thorne swallowed. He hated the witness stand. According to Darla, they had argued their way out of almost every charge. All but the military desertion charge. The one mistake of his past that he hadn't told Cress about.

Thorne locked eyes with his sister. He couldn't read her face.

"It wasn't desertion." He said quietly into the microphone.

The prosecutor feigned surprise. "Really? Than what would you call leading seven men into enemy territory and leaving them to die?"

Thorne wanted to say 'self preservation' just to piss off the prosecutor but that would also probably land him in jail. Time to tell the story like it was.

"It was complicated."

"Do explain."

"There were eight of us, all together. We'd been sent into the fort on what was supposed to be a simple mission. We were supposed to rescue a couple hostages and that was it. Easy." Thorne paused and gauged Darla's reaction. She nodded.

"The watchtower should have been taken care of by another team." He shrugged. "It wasn't. They spotted us. They started shooting."

Thorne paused again, reaching up to rub his eyes. He didn't want to remember this. But he had to.

For Cress.

"God, we never stood a chance. We tried to radio to Mira, our general. She promised reinforcements. They never came. Sunto was shot right in front of me. His blood was all over my face. Brain too.

I tried to run. I wanted to. There was only one guy left with me. I never even knew his name. He told me to stay and I said I would. But then he stepped on a mine and he was yelling at me to go... so... I did. The flashes left me blind for three days."

Thorne knew he had a pained look on his face. He stared out over the courtroom, looking at nothing. He fought the tears building up behind his eyes.

The prosecutor cleared his throat. "No further questions."

Cress had made six lemon cakes and four caramel crumbles before she decided she had to leave.

"Winter?" She called as she untied her apron. "Can you cover for me today?"

"Of course, Crescent," she replied, fixing Cress with wary dark eyes.

"Thank you," Cress pulled her coat on over her uniform, tucked her hat over head and set out into the icy winter air.

She wasn't sure which direction the courthouse was, but she thought it was past the park with the moon statue. Sure enough, when she got to the park, she saw the domed peak of the courthouse poking through the trees. She started to walk faster.

When she was about half a block away, the large double doors began to open. Cress stopped in her tracks as everyone paraded out. She watched through the tangled web people, searching for Thorne.

He was near the back, walking slowly, a cloudy and troubled look on his face. Beside him, Darla was smiling, a bright beam the likes if which Cress had never seen on the woman.

Cress broke into a run. Thorne looked up at her and his whole expression changed. He was like a blind man seeing the moon for the very first time.

She threw her arms around him and he held her tightly, like he was terrified that if he let go she'd slip through his fingers and be gone.

"I knew we'd make it," she whispered into his collar.

Thorne smiled. "I wasn't sure, to be honest. But for once I'm glad to be proven wrong."/div

 **A/N: Well here we go! The next chapter will be the last one. College classes were much more intensive than I thought they'd be and I apologize for that. I will finish this story as well as To Love A Monster, so don't fret. Let me know what you think by leaving a review, it really helps me out a lot!**


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